Hello fellow coffee lovers,I'm sure this is the most commonly asked question on the forums, but why should I be any different than the rest !I love my coffee, got into it a couple of years ago when my wife bought me a Barista taster course. I have been using a basic DeLonghi machine, which produces espresso and froths milk but doesn't steam milk very well. My wife has bought me a Gaggia carrezza and I would like the opinion of other coffee lovers with regards to a good machine to buy, have been considering the Rancilio de silva, but the Gaggia looks better. Advice would good before I open the box on Xmas day and make my first brew. I would probably like to spend around £300 to £350, the Gaggia cost £280, this is probably a machine I will want to stick with for a good few years and especially want to buy something that will produce a nice milk texture, as well as a good crema. Also using a Bosch grinder which seems pretty good unless I'm told otherwise as I know the grind is equally important.

The new Gaggia Carezza for 2013 sounds Similar to a New Baby Twin if it has the thermoblock as it sounds, a New Baby if not. They leak and the Twin has thermoblock and "board" problems. The package may look a lot nicer, if it is like those, it is not a great machine. I think it has a thermoblock plus boiler as I saw "simultaneous brew" noted.

No mention of a 3 way solenoid or adjustable OPV and those are both desirable.

I would get the Classic, or consider another brand based on knowledgeable reviews in espresso forums. Price and availability vary by location and I am not sure what is a good buy in the Classic range in your area.

Hi D4FThanks for your reply. Treat me as a newbie to the use of coffee terminology, I don't know what a 3 way solenoid or OPV is! Excuse my ignorance, this is why I want to benefit from other members mistakes and good experiences to allow me to end up with a coffee machine I will have pleasure owning and using. Just a little more info regarding needs: only really make one or two or cups a day, really want to master milk texture and a good crema. But machine needs to look good in kitchen too.

OPV or Over Pressure Valve is a way to adjust brew pressure. Normal accepted value is 9 bar and most Gaggias come with 11 - 12 bar adjusted down from the "15 bar pump." the higher pressure is to allow pressurized baskets and force fake crema.

Hi allThought I would give a update to my post. After un boxing my Gaggia carezza on Xmas day pretty quickly I discovered it wasn't the machine for me. Looked great on the bench, however struggled to produce a good crema, designed so that you were not meant to tamp down coffee in basket, I guess as soon as I realised this it wasn't going to be right for me. Anyway, I am now the proud owner of a shiny new Rancilio de silva v3. I hope I have made a good choice. After a couple of days playing with my grind setting I have managed to produce a crema, however no where near as good as I had hoped for. Using a krups burr grinder , do I need to replace this also ? If spend anymore money on coffee gear my wife will leave me !Any starter advice from other silva owners would be helpful

OPV or Over Pressure Valve is a way to adjust brew pressure. Normal accepted value is 9 bar and most Gaggias come with 11 - 12 bar adjusted down from the "15 bar pump." the higher pressure is to allow pressurized baskets and force fake crema.

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